ALLEN PARK - Detroit signed former Wayne State running back Joique Bell from New Orleans' practice squad on Tuesday. The Lions released running back Aaron Brown to make room for Bell on the active roster.

While Bell has bounced around several teams since being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010 by Buffalo, Detroit has had its eye on the Benton Harbor native. Lions coaches got an up-close look at the 5-foot-11, 220-pounder while leading the North squad in the 2010 Senior Bowl.

"We had Joique at the Senior Bowl when we coached that game three years ago," said head coach Jim Schwartz. "We followed him fairly closely and watched a lot of his preseason stuff. It was an opportunity for us to finally act on that.

"He's a good strong runner, a very instinctive runner. You see a lot of backs from different levels of competition have success in the NFL, and we think he can too."

Bell, who rushed for 6,728 yards and 88 touchdowns on 1,181 carries in his four-year career with the Warriors, has big plans now that he's back in Motown.

"It feels great to come back home," he said. "This is my fan base. My college is probably, literally, four miles from our home stadium, so my fans are here, my friends are here, my family - I have a lot of support here.

It's not clear how much Bell will be able to contribute to the team in Sunday's game against Green Bay, considering he's just come aboard. He said he's just going to do his best to pick up the offense as quickly as he can, while executing whatever the coaches tell him to do.

The 25-year-old seems confident he can help the Lions with his ability to get north, rather than south.

"I don't know how to explain myself," Bell said, when asked about his running style. "I just get yards. I think one of the coaches told me, 'We don't know how you do it, but you just get yards.' I think I have good balance. I think I have pretty good vision. I anticipate the block before I happens. I can set the defense up where I want them to go by the way I run and by my eyes, the way my eyes go. I always try to stay one step ahead of the defense.

"That's probably the best I can explain my style. At the same time, I have deceptive speed, which you'll see later on. Football speed is totally different than 40 speed."

Bell, who will wear No. 35 with the Lions, ran the 40-yard dash in the 4.6-second range before the 2010 NFL draft.